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Second Coordination Group Meeting held in Lahti

Lahti 2017 is gearing up -

FIS

The second Coordination Group meeting for the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Lahti (FIN) was successfully staged on 3rd-4th April with two full days of fruitful meetings.

The Lahti 2017 team, led by newly-named Secretary General Janne Leskinen, was joined by representatives of the City of Lahti and Lahti Ski Club, the Finnish Ski Association, FIS, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) and Tridem Sports, the sales agency for the TV and marketing rights holder EBU.

The group dove immediately into meetings upon arrival as the major milestones achieved during this last winter were discussed. The Local Organising Committee continues to grow with three primary stakeholders, the Finnish Ski Association, the City of Lahti and Lahti Ski Club playing a major role. Key external stakeholders for the event include host broadcaster YLE, National Railway, Green City Programme, Vierumaki Sports Centre as the official accommodation for the teams, TSG, Lahti Region, Finland 100 years anniversary commission, City of Helsinki and the Ministry of Education and Sport National Council.

2017 is a special year in Finland, when it will celebrate its 100th anniversary as an independent nation. The FIS Nordic World Ski Championships will be the most important sporting event during the year and will play a key role in the national celebrations. The Lahti 2017 Organising Committee aims to make the World Championships a catalyst in increasing participation and interest in the Nordic ski disciplines, as outlined by its vision: "Join the Celebration".

“We are looking forward to integrating the 100-year anniversary of Finland into the World Championship concept,” said Leskinen. “The two events are very important for our nation and sure to generate a lot of interest.”

As part of its vision for the World Championship, the Organising Committee is also integrating the Lahti Games, which celebrated its 89th edition last winter, into the structure of the World Championships. Ultimately, improvements made to the infrastructure for the World Championship will serve as the legacy for the Lahti Games. The aim is also to bring in a new generation of officials volunteers for future editions of the Lahti Games.

Lahti will draw on a wealth of experience when planning for the 2017 FIS Nordic World Ski Championships. The city, located approximately one hour north of Helsinki, has hosted the World Championships a record six times (1926, 1938, 1958, 1978, 1989, 2001). In addition, the Lahti Ski Games every March is a traditional classic event on the FIS World Cup circuit for all three Nordic disciplines.

FIS Secretary General Sarah Lewis said after the meetings: “Lahti has a strong Nordic tradition and the entire region is poised to benefit from hosting the 2017 Nordic Ski World Championship. FIS will work hard with the Organising Committee to maximise the promotional impact for Nordic Skiing internationally as well.”